5 Women of All Sizes Who Are Inspiring The World With Their Fearlessness
Last week seemed like the week of body acceptance with quite a few stories making headlines where women of all sizes were speaking out against body shaming comments or posting images of them showing their bodies, flaws and all. Sometimes it just takes one person to start a “revolution” and here we have five women whose voices are definitely being heard and causing a positive stir.
These women are not just inspiring others via their voices. It’s about them just being themselves fearlessly. And we had to spotlight these women who are more than worthy of celebration and support.
#1: Isa-Bella Leclair
“My condition doesn’t define me and there’s no way I would let it stop me from wearing a cute swimsuit or a cute dress. For me confidence is the most important part because when people see someone confident in their body – even with a disability – they don’t have pity but instead admiration.”
19-year old Isa-Bella was born with a genetic condition called Parkes Weber Syndrome, which caused her right leg to swell to around 40 pounds. This condition has made her unable to play sports or wear fitted jeans. But that hasn’t stopped her from celebrating her beauty by winning a title in a beauty pageant in her hometown of Campbellton, New Brunswick and hitting the beach in her bikini, not hiding her leg.
“For me, beauty isn’t just on the outside. When I say someone is beautiful I see someone who makes you feel good when you’re around them.” Well said, Isa-Bella!
#2: Corissa Enneking
This 21-yr old blogger, who runs the Fat Girl Flow blog, grew tired of seeing the same type of plus size bodies being shown and celebrated so she penned a blog post titled ‘We exist: Diversity in plus size bodies’ where she asked the question: “Why do I keep seeing the exact same bodies being celebrated in the plus size community???”. That post went viral with Corissa asking her followers to share images of themselves in swimwear on social media. The response was overwhelming and showed a variety of women of different shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities confidently wearing their swimwear.
#3: Amanda / @tattedyogi16 – Instagram
Look at that smile. That confidence. Who says fat girls can’t do yoga and do it well? Amanda is proof that we can. We’ve been fans of hers for a while so we were overjoyed when US Magazine included her in their article last week talking to the Oprah Magazine uproar over crop tops. As you can see, Amanda is not only a skilled yogi but she is rocking a crop top, looking absolutely fabulous. Talk about inspiring! You can follow her on Instagram here.
#4: Loey Lane
YouTuber Loey Lane usually reviews fashion including swimwear and of course, there are always those people who will comment negatively about her weight and how she shouldn’t wear this or that. She got to the point where she felt she had to address the haters in a video titled “Why Fat Girls Shouldn’t Wear Bikinis“. Her take on this whole thing? “#IAmFlawLess because of my body, not despite it.” And she is encouraging other women to share their swimwear photos on social media with the hashtag because:
“I want to know why YOU are flawless. Celebrate the body you have and the things you love about yourself. Let’s spread this message of body positvity and loving yourself and influence the world to do the same. Use it on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and everywhere in-between.”
#5: Amanda Bingson
Last but certainly not least (by a long shot)… When this cover of the ESPN 2015 Body Issue went live, there were many people who criticized the magazine for including USA Track & Field hammer thrower Amanda Bingson in the nude because she is considered plus size at 5’5″ and 210 pounds. She may not have a flat stomach and there’s rolls showing but it’s obvious that Amanda is a powerhouse. Strong, fit and confident. She told ESPN:
“Generally when you look at athletes, you see their muscles and all that stuff; I don’t have any of that. My arm is just my arm — it’s not cut, it’s not sculpted. I don’t have traps bulging out to my ears; I have a neck. I don’t have a six-pack. My legs are a little toned, but they aren’t bulging out. I’m just dense. I think it’s important to show that athletes come in all shapes and sizes.”
Amanda is showing that athletics come in all shapes and sizes. As she simply states: “I’ll be honest, I like everything about my body.” She was always told she was too fat to become an athletic but look at her now. To check out her in-depth interview with ESPN that is featured in the 2015 body issue, click here.
We celebrate these five women for taking a stand and letting the world know how they feel as well as inspiring others in the process. Kudos to all of them!
Are you inspired? Which story resonates with you? Please leave us a comment below and let us know.